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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. content — the amount
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bear — the animal
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bear — the animal
  8. cell — a phone
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — happy
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — a publisher
  16. spell — letters
  17. cell — in biology
  18. press — to push
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — magic
  24. cell — in a prison

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com